Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Greensboro Man Pleads Guilty To COVID-Related Fraud Charges

U.S. Middle District Court in Greensboro. Credit: uscourts.gov

A Greensboro man has been convicted in federal court of fraud connected to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of his plea, 34-year-old Brandon Lewis admitted he set up a bogus relief fund promising payouts of up to $15,000 in exchange for a so-called reservation fee of about $1,000.

He also acknowledged that he set up another fund promising payouts of $5,000 — none of which were made — that the U.S. Justice Department says defrauded small business owners of more than $100,0000.

When stay-at-home orders went into effect, federal officials say Lewis set up a website selling hand sanitizers, wipes, and other items that were hard to find at the time. He received orders totaling more than $400,000 but never delivered the items.

Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the Small Business Administration.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Paul Garber is a Winston-Salem native and an award-winning reporter who began his journalism career with an internship at The High Point Enterprise in 1993. He has previously worked at The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The News and Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal, where he was the newspaper's first full-time multimedia reporter. He won the statewide Media and the Law award in 2000 and has also been recognized for his business, investigative and multimedia reporting. Paul earned a BA from Wake Forest University and has a Master's of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master's of Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Lewisville.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate